Device for operating and controlling folding doors



NOV. 29, G STQD D 1,889,159

ATING AND CONTROLLING FOLDING DOORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 DEVICE FOR OPER Filed April 18. 1931 JOHN G. STODDARD Nov. 29, 1932. J. G. STODDARD 1, 9

B FOR OPERATING AND CONTROLLING FOLDING DOORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2v DEVIC Filed April 18. 1951 I gwwwto'a JOHN 6.5TO0DARD IEQIJE.li

Patented Nov. 29, 1932 l r Unitas stares PATENT OFFICE JQH N GREGORY STQBIDARD, OF EAST FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA 'DEVICE FOR OPERATING AND CONTR-OLLIN FOLDING DOORS Application filed April 18, 1931. .Serial No. 531,183.

This inventionappertains to doors or other invention consists in the novel construction, closures of the folding type and of the arrangement and formation of parts, as will character particularly adapted for use in he hereinafter more specifically described, public or private garages, factories, wareclaimed, and illustrated in the accompanying houses and the like, and so constructed as to drawings, in which drawings h 5 permit opening and closing of the doors by igure 1- is a front elevation showingniy manual, mechanical or electrical means. improved operating and controlling mecha- One of the primary objects of my invennis n applied to a pair of foldingand swingtion is to provide novel means for operating in doors. I and controlling doors of the folding type igure 2 is atop plan view of my operating 6? above referred to, whereby .the same will be and controlling mechanism applied to a pair held secured against unauthorized persons of folding, swinging doors, the swinging and and firmly held closed against rattling in locking mechanism ;being shown in full lines wind storms and the like. in their locked position, and in dotted lines 9 Another important object of my invention in their unlocked position. is the provision of novel means for operating Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail view in the locking structure, so that thesaidlo'cking side elevation illustrating my improved structure can be quickly and easily actuated guide tracks and hanger brackets forming a and with the expenditure of a minimum part of the guiding mechanism for the doors,

amount of effort. Figure 4 tea detail transverse section taken A further salient object of my invention is through the guide tracks on the line 4 t of the provision of novel means for guiding the Figure 3 looking the direction of the ardoors during the opening and closing moverows.

M inent, whereby the doors can he quickly and Figure 5 is a detail fragmentary View illusv. properly swung both to their open and closed trating a slightly modified form of my hanger position and whereby the doors will have a and track mechanism, which is particularly tendency to be held in both their open and adapted for use in conjunction with another closed positions. form of my device. 7

Another important object of my invention Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevation lookfor cooperating with the guide means for the part of my locking mechanism and operating swinging and folding doors, whereby the devicetherefor. guide means will he engaged by saidlock- Figure 7 is a vertical section taken on the ing mechanism, when the locking mecha line 7 of Figure; looking inthe direction nism is in its operative position, so as to posi- 0f thearrows illustrating a part of my locktively hold the doors in their closed position. ing mechanism and operating device there- A further object of my invention is the vfor, thelocking mechanism being shown in its provision of a novel guide track and hanger locked operative position. structure in the guide mechanism for the Figure 8is asimilar view showing the lockswinging doors, said guide tracks and hanger ing mechanism inits inoperative position for structure acting to properly guide and hold permitting the opening of the door. the doors during the opening and closing Figure 9 is a front elevation showinga ement. modified form of mydevice applied to a pair A still further object of my invention is to of swinging folding doors. provide an improved device of the above Figure 10 is atop plan view of the modified character, which willbedurahleand efiicient form of my device showing the san eapplied in use, one that will be simple and .easy ,to to a pairof swinging and-folding doors.

manufacture, and one which can be placed Figure 11 is an enlarged detail side elevauponthe market at a reasonable cost. tion of thellatch utilized in conjunction with With these and other objects in view, the the modified form of myinvention, and

'1 15 the provision of anovel locking mechanism 111g from the nside of the doors show ng a w 'tofore referred to. The

Figure 12 is a detail perspective View of the said latch.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter B indicates a building, which can be considered of any character, or type, such as a garage, factory, or the like, having enlarged door opening 0 which can be closed by a pair of swinging andfolding doors D. As shown, each pair of doors D include an outer section 15 and an inner section 16 con nected together by means of hinges 17 at their adjacent edges. The inner door sections 16 of the pair of doors D are adapted to abut when the pair ofdoors are in their closed position. The outer door section 15 of each pair of doors are connected to the building B by means of strap hinges 18.

As heretofore intimated, my invention embodies novel means for facilitating the opening and closing of generally indicated by the reference character E, and novel locking mechanism which is generally indicated by the reference character F. v

My improved guiding mechanism E for facilitating the opening and closing of the doors comprises swinging arms 20, which are connected by means of pivot pins 21, with supporting brackets 22, which are connected with the building B directly above the door opening 0 thereof. A clearly shown there is a pivoted arm 20 on each side of the transverse center of the door opening, so that a guide arm is provided for each door ofthe pair of doors.

The arms 20 are of novel construction and are in the nature of guide tracks, as can be readily seen by referring to Figures 8 and 4 of the drawings. Thus, the guide arms 20 are of hollow construction and are provided with a longitudinal guide slot 23 in their lower faceand the walls of the guide slots can be struck inwardly to provide flared guide flanges 24, for a purpose which will be now described. Y Y 1 Slidably mounted within the hollow guide arms are the novel hanger brackets 25, each of which comprises a depending shank 26, which eXtends through the guide slots 23 in the arms. The upper end of the shank 26 is swivelly mounted within a supporting bracket 27, which extends outwardly from the opposite sides of the shank. The ends of the brackets 27 support pivot pins 28, on which are rot-atably 29. These side rollers 29 engage the inner face of the lower wall of the hollow arm 20 and abut against the guide flanges24, herebrackets 27 between the rollers 29 can be, .p'rovided with a circular head 30 which can fit directly within the guide slots between the flanges 23. The lower end of the shank 26 can be pivotally connected in any'desired way to angle door the doors, which means is mounted the side rollers brackets 31 which are bolted or otherwise secured to the inner door sections 16. From the description so far, it can be seen that each inner door section 16 carries a door bracket 31, and that the door bracket is connected to the novel hanger 25 which is in turn mounted on rollers within the hollow guide arms 20.

Thus, when the inner door sections 16 are swung outwardlythe same will swing on the hinges 17 and fold against the outer door sections 15 and at the same time the door sections 15 will. be swung open. This movement is transmitted to the door sections 15 and 16 through the medium of the hollow swinging guide arms 20 and the hanger brackets 25.

Referring to my improved locking mechanism F, the same embodies a novel locking or shuttle latch bar 35. This bar is mounted for sliding movement in supporting U- shaped guide brackets 36 secured to the building B directly above the door opening 0. The outer face of the bar 35 on each side of its transverse center is provided with arcuate latch arms 38, which are adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with the shanks 26 of the hangers 25 and it is obvious that when the arcuate latch arms 38 are in engagement i th said shanks 26 that the doors will be prevented from opening movement. Directly at the transverse center of the bar 35 I provide an elongated eye or guide loop 39, which receives the sharpened angular end 40 of the lock operating mechanism 41. v This lock operating mechanism 41 embodies a rotatable and a vertical sliding section 42, which section carries the angular end 40. The lower end of the section 42 is providedwith a sleeve 43 having a polygonal bore, which is slidably mounted on a polygonal shank 44 of the lower rod section 45.

The sections 41 and 45 are in direct vertical alignment and are rotatably mounted in upper and lower bearing plates 46 and 4'7 carried by one inner door section 16, it being understood that the upper rod section 41 also has sliding movement. The extreme lower end of the lower rod section 45 is provided with a crank arm 48 which extends through a slot 49 formed in the inner face of the inner door section 16. The lower end of the crank48 is provided with a depending latch arm 50, which is adapted to be swung into and out of locking engagement with a combined door stop and keeper plate 51.

The sleeve 43 has formed thereon or secured thereto a pair of pivot ears 52 to which is pivotally connected an operating handle 53, which is in the nature of a hasp for movement over a staple 54 carried by the adjacent inner door section 16 of the other door. The door section 16 carrying the rod sections 41 and 45 is provided with a vertical slot 55 having a lateral offset lower end 56 and the operating handle 53 normally projects through said slot. Normally, when the portion 56 of the slot 55, so -as to be out of the way and against injury.

.. 53 is rotated received with the bar 85, slides the latch bar 35 in its guides-36 and moves the arcuate latch arms 38 from I the said pin or crank l within the eye. The

- right will move the and the combined door stop and keeper: plate 51.

. double swinging folding for said doors.

' pair of doors the locking mechanism is in locked position the operating handle and hasp 53 is swung over the'staple fiet and is secured iii-place by a padlock. The locking arm 50 at this ti me is in engagement with'the combined door stop and keeper 51 and the shuttle bar is in its locked positionwhen its arms 38 are in engagement with the shank 26' of the hanger. lius the-doors-are firmly engaged and locked.

Vhen it is desired to open the doors the padlock (no shown) -isf-emoved from'the stapleand the 'combined'hasp and handle a quarter of a turn, which retates the rod sections L1 and in their bearings. This swings the upper crank arm 40 and thelower crank arm 48 a quarter of a turn and moves the latch arm 50 from out engagement with the combined door stop and keeper 51. The swinging movement of the upper crank or offset pin 40, which is loop or eye 39 0f the latch its operative out of engagement with the shanks 26 of the hangers 35. The handle 53 is now pushed downward which slides the upper rod section 41 on the polygonal portion 44 of the lower rod section 415 and moves the offset pin or crank 40 fromout of engagement with loops or eye 39 of the latch bar. of doors are now free for swinging opening movement. The combined handle and hasp 53 can be swung on the pivot cars 52 downward so as to lie within thelateral oiiset When it is desired to lock the doors the I i 1 pair of doors are moved to their closed positlon which will move the lateral offset pin 40, or crank, under the eye or loop 39 of the latch bar 35, and the'combined handle and hasp 53 is pushedupwardly, which will move crank 15 now given a quarter of a turn to the right, referring to Figure ,6 0f the drawings, which will shift the lock bar 35 to the (see Figure 1 of the drawings). This latch arms 38 into engagement with the shanks 26 of the hangerbrackets the latch arm 50 into engagement with Itis obvious fronrthe foregoing that I have provided an exceptionally simple and durable form of locking mechanism, for doors for operating novel guide mechanism in conjunction with heretofore referred to.

are'i'n -their elo'se'd' position and which the lower walls to the building above the door opening.

' with at the point I doors.

ment, but itcanbe seen that ing of the doors if the was it can be seen that I have provided double-swinging.idoorsn6O and that each door pair o'fdouble sdoors includes inner sections 61 and outer sections-62. iThemeeting edges of the inner and outer sections 61 and 62 are connected together by means of suitable hinges 63. The outer sections 62 are connected to the door opening jambs by means of strap hinges 64. "The door sections 61 and 621are guided in' their opening and closing anovementiby means of novel swinging guide anm's 65, which are similar in their nature to the gui=de:arms20. Theg-ui'de arms 65:are;a=lso'of hollow construction and can be seeni-by referring are provided-with longitudinal slots through 7 extend. shanks 66 of: hanger brackets 6 T within the bracketsand theends oi the brackets carry the guide rollers .68, which engage of. the brackets. -'I prefer, as shownin Figure 9, to provide compression coil springs 69 within the hollow guide arms 65, which springs engage an 1 abutment plate .70 arranged in the arms and the hanger brackets67= between the rollers 68. Thus the springsnormally urge the hanger brackets towardthe outer ends ofthe: arms. The shanks 66 are swivelly necteld to'the inner door sections 61. The

inner'ends of the armsare pivotally connected to brackets .Z

In this form the inner the 62 and are guided in their movement byumeans ofwthe hanger brackets 6'7 and thehoilow guide arms 65.

=I-provide'a 'latch 73 to work in conjunction the power operating door and this latch comprises a vertically disposed attachingplate 74, which isbolted orrotherwise securedto the building: directly above the doors :of the meeting This attaching bracket 74 has connected theretoby-means or" a :pintle 75 the swinging latch pl .te 76 and the outer edge of the swinging latch plate is bent dow wardly and inwardly. to provide abutting flange. 77. The movement of the doors is such as to slide under and away from the swinging latch plate76inthe opening moveduring the closdoors engage the de pending flange 77 that the latch plate will be swung. upwardly. The latch plate 'Willresist any direct outward thrust of the doors, until outward swing of doors takes place. An

ear 78-is formed on-the latch plate 76 and limits'the upward swingthereoflwhile an ear 79 on the attaching plate 74 limitsthe downwardswi'ngthereof. e

Itis obvious thatthe doors shown in Figures 9 and IO-canbe'mOdified so asito permit to: Figure 5. of the :draw-' i-ngs. The l-owerswalls or": the hollowarms connected to brackets 71 con- I doorsections 61 are adapted to swing flat against the inner face of of said double ing, folding doors including pivoted guide arms arranged abovethe doors and hanger bracket-s secured to the doors slidably mounted Within the guide arms, of a locking devlce for said doors including a latch bar mounted for movement into and out of locking engagecluding for. raising the door ment withthe hanger brackets.

2. The combination with a pair of folding,

swinging doors including swinging guide arms and door carried hanger brackets engaging the arms, of a locking device for said doors including 'a sliding latch bar, means slidably supporting said. latch bar, and means for moving the latch bar into and out of looking engagement with the hanger bracket.

3. The combination with a pair of folding, swinging doors including swinging guide arms mounted above the doors and door carried hanger brackets engaging the arms, the bracketshaving shanks, of a locking device for said doors including a sliding latch bar, means "for slidably supporting the bar above the door, arcuate latch arms formed on the bar, and means for sliding the latch bar for moving the latch arms into and out of locking engagement with the shanks of the hanger brackets. 3 l

a, The combination with a pair of folding, swinging doors including swinging guide arms mounted above the doors and door carried hanger brackets engaging the arms having shanks swivelly connected with said doors, of a locking device for said doors including a sliding latch bar, means for slidably supporting the bar, arcuate latch arms formed on the bars, and means for sliding the latch bar to move the latch arms into and out of locking engagement with the shank of the brackets, said last named means embodying a rotatable door carried crank.

5. The combination with a pair of folding, swinging doors including swinging guide arms mounted above the doorsand door carried hanger brackets engaging the arms having shanks swivelly connected with said doors, of a locking device for said doors ina sliding latchbar, means for slidably supporting the bar, arcuate latch arms 1 formed on the bar, means for sliding the latch bar to move the latch arms into and out of locking engagement with the shankof the brackets, said last namedmeans embodying a rotatable door carried crank, and means carried crank into and out of operative engagement ried hanger brackets with'the slidinglatch bar.

I 6.- The combination with a pair of folding, swinging doors including hollow swinging guide arms mounted above the doors and door carried hanger brackets including rollers slidably mounted in the hollow arms and depending swivel shanks connected with the doors, of a locking device for said doors including a sliding latch bar having arcuate latch arms, arranged in the path of the shanks, and means for moving the latch bar to bring the latch arms into and out of lockirtig engagement with the shanks of the bracke S.

7. The combination with a pair of folding, swinging doors, of a combined door stop and keeper plate, and a rotatable door carried crank for movement into and out of engagement with the combined door stop and keeper plate.

8. The combination with a pair of folding swinging doors including swinging guide arms mounted above the doors and door carlocking device for said doors having a rotatable rod carried by one door including upper and lower sections, one section being slidable relative to the other section, a combined operating handle and hasp connected with the sliding section, a staple carried by the other door section for receiving the hasp, a sliding latch bar mounted above the doors having means for engaging the brackets, a crank formed on the sliding section having operative engagement with the latch bar, whereby upon rotation of the rod said means on the latch bar can be brought into and out of locking engagement with the hangers, the crank being arranged below and out of engagement with the latch bar when in its lowered position onits other section.

9. The combination with a pair of folding, swinging doors including swinging guide arms and door carried hanger brackets engaging the arms, of a locking device for said doors including a sliding latch bar, arcuate latch arms on said bar for engaging the hanger brackets, means for slidably supporting the latch bar above the door, and means for moving the latch bar and its arms into and out of locking engagement with the hanger brackets, said means including a loop on the latch bar, a rod rotatably carried by one door having an upper section and a lower section, the lower section being slidable relative to the upper section and rotatable there with, a crank on the upper end of the sliding section movable into and out of engagement with the loop, and a handle on the rod for facilitating the rotation thereof for sliding the latch bar in its supporting means.

10. The combination with a pair of folding, swinging doors including swinging guide arms and door carried hanger brackets enengaging the arms, a

the rod and including said means includ I lnto and out of engagement with the latch arms on said ing the latch bar and its arms into and out of locking engaging with the hanger brackets, said means including a loop on the latch bar, a rod rotatably carried by one door having an upper section and a lower section, the lower thereof for sliding the latch bar in its supporting means, said handle being pivoted to a hasp, and a staple fiarried by the other door for receiving the asp. i

11. The combination with a pair of folding, swinging doors including swinging idJe arms and door carried hanger brackets engaging the arms, of a locking device for said doors including a sliding latch bar, arcuate latch arms on said bar for engaging the hanger brackets, means slidably supporting the latch bar above the door, means moving the latch bar and its arms into and out of locking engagement with the hanger brackets,

ing a loop on the latch bar, a rod rotatable carried by one door having an upper section and a lower section, the lower section being slidable relative to the upper section, and rotatable therewith, a crank on the upper end of the sliding section movable slot therein for receiving the thereof for sliding the latch bar in its supporting means, said handle being pivoted to the rod and including a hasp, a staple carried g by the other door for receiving the hasp, a the latch bar above the door, means for mov combined. door stop and keeper arranged in the path of the doors, a crank on the lower rod section for movement into and out of en gagement with the plate upon the turning of said rod, the door carrying the rod having a handle when the latch bar is in its tion.

' 13. The combination with a swinging doors including an outer door section and an inner door section hingedly nected together, of means for guiding the sections during their opening and closing pair of folding,

JOHN GREGORY STODDARD.

into and out of engagement with the loop, a

ar in its supporting means, said handle being pivoted to the rod and including a hasp, a staple carried by th g ing the arms, of a locking'device for said doors including a sliding latch bar, arcuate bar upper section and a lower section, the lower section being slidable relative to the upper section, and rotatable therewith, a crank on the upper end of the sliding section movable loop, a

handle on the rod for facilitating the rotation for engaging the con door gig 7 inoperative unlocked posi- 1 

